Stirring Up A Quick Supper

What a busy weekend. Up and down the interstate, trying so hard to stay awake on that drive. I'm still dragging around with the lingering crud I've had for a while. Thank goodness for audiobooks to help keep me alert. (I'm listening to The Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, one of the Flavia de Luce series. So fun!) 

When I got home last night, I pulled spaghetti sauce out of the freezer. So good to keep a well stocked freezer. But then tonight I had to think about the next supper. Factor in where we live and often we find it's easier to make dinner than to go out to eat, or even pick up take-out and bring it home.

This dish had been on my radar after I watched the YouTube video from A Peek Inside showing how she makes freezer dinners. I love that she really doesn't use recipes. Her cooking is that simple. If you have any cooking experience at all, you won't need a recipe either.

She said this is an old recipe that her mom used to make. I'm pretty sure that I remember it from the heyday of Campbell soup recipes. So easy. And Daddy-O went back for thirds. That's affirmation that it's a good recipe.

Right up front let me say I DIDN'T MEASURE ANYTHING! (Except the tablespoon of conrstarch.) The round steak I bought was a pound and a half, so my recipe measurements flew out the window right there.. Early this morning I had prepped a lot of fresh vegetables so I'd actually use them this week. So at supper time, I tossed in handfuls of peppers, onions, celery and mushrooms. It's easy to adjust if you like more of less or any of these things.

To make the round steak easier to slice, I popped it in the freezer for an hour before I sliced it. That firms it up enough to slice. The simmer time after I added the veggies? The recipe says 10 minutes or until tender. I actually watched the vegetables and let them cook until they reached the doneness I wanted. It all probably simmered 15-20 minutes.

The leftover meat and veggies (which wasn't as much as I planned) will go into the freezer for one of "those nights." ETA: I ended up with one single meal plate of meat and rice for the freezer and a small container of the meat mix for Daddy-O's lunch tomorrow.

I'm sharing the old original recipe to give you a starting point, but let me say again—I DIDN'T MEASURE. Just eyeball it. I'm sure you could add carrots or broccoli, or leave out the celery. Just make it suit your family.

MOCK SUKIYAKI

1 lb. round steak, sliced thin

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1-1/2 cup sliced celery

1 green pepper, cut in strips

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup green onions, sliced 

1 cup Campbell's beef broth, undiluted (I used the whole can)

I tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, or to taste

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Brown steak in oil in medium hot skillet. Add vegetables, broth and soy sauce. Cover. Simmer 10 minutes, or until tender. (I let mine cook longer.) Stir often. Combine water and cornstarch. Stir into sauce and cook until thickened. Serve over rice.

For the record, there is a greater proportion of vegetables than meat in this dish. Doesn't exactly look like it in the photo because the mushrooms and onions are kind of invisible. But it's a sneaky way to up your veggie intake.

Mimi duty.

Because I was a little under the weather, the littles enjoyed some extra TV time this weekend. They love old Fred Astaire movies!